NCAPA Weekly Roundup | Jan. 27 - Feb. 3, 2017 - National Council of Asian Pacific Americans

The latest AAPI news from NCAPA and our more than 30 member organizations.

Update

Denouncing President Trump’s anti-Muslim, anti-refugee & anti-immigrant executive orders: Last Wednesday, President Trump signed executive orders to withhold federal funding from sanctuary cities; increase deportations; and begin construction of a wall along the Mexican border. On Friday, he signed an executive order to ban the entry of individuals from certain Muslim-majority countries; an indefinite ban on Syrian refugees; a suspension of the U.S. refugee resettlement program; and a drastic reduction of refugee admissions. Fifteen NCAPA members denounced these executive orders as against our American values.

Find a compilation of these 20 responses on the NCAPA website. Also, this week, NCAPA, SAALT, and SEARAC joined members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) in a press conference.

Opposition to President Trump's nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court:NCAPA, as well as members Advancing Justice | AAJC and the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF), oppose the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, announced Tuesday.

Opposing Betsy DeVos for Secretary of Education:NCAPA deemed Betsy DeVos unfit to serve our communities and dangerous for students who face educational challenges and disparities. SEARAC and OCA also issued statements of opposition

NCAPA endorses pro-immigrant bills: NCAPA endorsed Rep. Lofgren’s ‘‘Statue of Liberty Values (SOLVE) Act of 2017,” Senator Harris’ “Access to Counsel Act,” and Sen. Feinstein’s bill to rescind Trump’s anti-refugee executive order so that it has no legal effect.The SOLVE Act would block federal funds from being used to implement Trump's discriminatory executive orders. The Access to Counsel Act guarantees the right to access counsel to persons questioned and detained by Customs and Border Protection.

NCAPA opposes Senator Jeff Sessions for Attorney General: NCAPA reaffirmed our strong opposition to Sen. Jeff Sessions to become the country’s next Attorney General and urged Senators to vote no.

Kellogg anchors issue statement on week one of Trump presidency: The Kellogg racial equality anchors, which NCAPA and member APIAHF are a part of, issued a statement on how week one of the Trump presidency had a detrimental impact on communities of color.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice responds to White House firing of former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates: Asian Americans Advancing Justice, an affiliate of which AAJC is a member of NCAPA, applauds Sally Yates for acting in accordance with the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution.

National CAPACD urges Senate to block Steven Mnuchin for Secretary of the Treasury: The National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (CAPACD) urges members of the Finance Committee to reject Steven Mnuchin for Secretary of the Treasury.

APALA stands in solidarity with Bangladeshi trade unionists and workers: The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance stands in solidarity with workers in Bangladesh who went on strike to demand an increase to the country’s minimum wage, which is $68/month.

Thank you, Mee Moua: Advancing Justice | AAJC President & Executive Director Mee Moua announced she is stepping down from her position after five years. We sincerely thank Mee for her work elevating the AAPI community and for serving on NCAPA’s executive committee.

NCAPA in the News

Civil rights groups, including NCAPA and member SAALT, are among the many rallying in support of Muslims, refugees after the executive orders. (Chris Fuchs, NBC Asian America)

The Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC) was featured as standing strong to support refugees in response of Trump’s executive order. (Kimberly Yam, The Huffington Post)

More than 200 AAPI signatories committed to resist any rhetoric and policies of the Trump Administration. This included NCAPA members AAPA, APALA, CAPACD, JACL, NAKASEC, NAPAWF, NQAPIA, SALDEF, SAALT, and SEARAC. (Kenrya Rankin, Colorlines)

South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) and the South Asian Bar Association of North America (SABA) offer insight into why Indian Americans need to be wary of Trump’s executive orders withholding federal funding from sanctuary cities. (Sunita Sohrabji, India-West)

AAJC Director of Litigation Cecelia Chang wrote an op-ed with Robert S. Chang, executive director of the Fred T. Korematsu Center, about why The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office should not trademark hateful names. (Cecelia Chang and Robert S. Chang, USA TODAY)

The National Association of Filipino American Federations (NaFFAA) us seeking to increase political involvement among Filipino Americans. (Christina Oriel, Asian Journal)

Take Action!/Resources

Urge your Senators to oppose the confirmation of Betsy DeVos to be the next Secretary of Education. Call now: (888) 623-4558.

NAKASEC has a 24-hour hotline to help answer questions for immigrant families in crisis: 1-844-500-3222

Take SEARAC’S FAFSA Survey to help inform policymakers how to better support first-generation AAPI students with limited English proficiency in completing the FAFSA.

Muslim Advocates is collecting reports from people – including U.S. citizens, green card holders, and visa holders – who have been harassed, searched or detained at the border. All information is confidential and encrypted.

Contribute to the tracking of hate crimes and view their databases:

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NCAPA Weekly Roundup | Jan. 27 - Feb. 3, 2017

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